Top amateurs for golf festival

Bangalore, Sep 5 - India’s top amateur golfers will compete in the three-day Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival commencing at the Karnataka Golf Association course here Thursday.

The fourth edition of South India’s largest amateur golf festival will see top-notch golfing action as the amateurs tee off for a spot in the Indian team to represent the country at the World Golfers’ Championships in Durban, South Africa from Oct 27 to Nov 3.

The winners of last year’s edition of the festival finished third amongst 48 participating countries at the Golfers’ Championships.

There is an added incentive for the competing golfers this year as one winner will get an opportunity to compete at the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Cup.

The player with the best gross score, and whose name does not feature on the IGU Order of Merit will get to compete in the Edinburgh Cup, from Sep 30 to Oct 4 at the Windsor Castle.

With support from the State Department of Tourism, the Festival showcases Karnataka as a premier golfing destination to promote golf tourism in the state.

In addition to top amateur golfers, the Festival will also see celebrities Syed Kirmani, Erapalli Prasanna, Sunil Joshi and Venkatesh Prasad. The five winning individuals in various handicap categories will participate in the World Golfers’ Championship, and the victorious team will win a royal week-long trip on the luxurious Golden Chariot train, sponsored by the Department of Tourism.